Kukla's Korner Hockey

For the first five years, my goal as GM for a Day was fairly simple even though the process was far more complicated. The idea was upgrading the Sabres’ roster in an effort to push them closer to the Stanley Cup. It was mostly mathematics, the adding and substracting of players under the salary cap.

The biggest decision this year doesn’t involve players.

It’s about the coach.

If you’ve been paying attention, you know I’ve been a longtime supporter of Lindy Ruff and his assistants. People who accused me of being a shameless Ruff apologist were probably more accurate than I would rather admit. There’s always a line between us, but we’ve had a good relationship away from hockey. He’s also one of the best coaches in the NHL, in my book.

My opinion of him hasn’t changed.

What has changed is my view of whether Ruff should coach this team. The thought of publicly calling for him to be fired, knowing today was coming, made me uncomfortable for the past two months. But after much consideration and conversation, my stance hasn’t wavered. The day has come. Lindy, it’s time for a change.